Doctor Who: The Next Doctor/The Dragon of St. Romain
The Dragon of St. Romain is the fifth episode of the third series of the Doctor Who The Next Doctor. Story Rouen had been under siege for the last few months. This would, of course, usually be a matter of concern to the King, rather than the contemptuous amusement he seemed to feel. If the people were being menaced by barbarians, or by one of the King' s rivals, then there was little doubt they would be quickly aided by the full might of the kingdom. Sometimes Romanus doubted that the full might of the kingdom would be any help at all under the circumstances. By the light of the candles, Romanus gingerly stepped between the beds, doing his best not to touch any of the groaning bodies they held. Before the attacks, he had prided himself on being quite a knowledgeable person. He'd traveled so far in his day, and seen so many things... why was he so helpless now? The screaming began again outside. His fists clenched on the bed rails as he gazed out the window. It was around midnight, same as all the other attacks. The faint light of torches shone in the distance, only to suddenly vanish when their carriers were knocked into the mud. Romanus tried hard not to wonder which of his friends would come back vomiting, stricken by the first stages of the fiendish disease. An ear-splitting shriek, enough to make wolves run and bears whimper, rang through the night. Romanus could just make out the winged shape of the devil rising into the air, flying over the river and back to its lair in the swamp. Within minutes, a small crowd of people were gathering outside the cathedral, supporting a number of people who'd been attacked. Romanus stepped outside to coordinate things. "Remain calm," he called out, somewhat uselessly against the panicked shouting of the people. "Trust in God. Take the afflicted people and set them on the beds on the north wall. Do not touch them any more than you must..." He froze for a moment, staring. Little Vera, only twelve years old, was stumbling about and lurching her head forward. The Gargouille was attacking closer and closer into the heart of the city. If even the young children of the city were being attacked... by God, what level of wickedness was required to bring such a demonic onslaught upon them? Quickly, he turned and began to hurry towards another room in the cathedral. One of the larger men in the crowd shouted, asking where he was going. He was the girl's father. Romanus barely turned his head as he left their sight. "I must pray." ---- Now he knelt on the cold stone floor, beside one of the angel sculptures that adorned the altar. "Lord Jesus Christ, hallowed be thy name. Oh Lord, I know not what thou want of me. I know not what sin hath caused thee to send this plague unto us. I humbly beg of these, give us another chance. Deliver us from this evil. Send us an angel, or a knight, or anyone..." ---- "And so it came to pass that Saint Romanus, Archbishop of Rouen, knelt in his cathedral and begged God to send someone to deliver them from the evil of the Gargouille." Jane placed the book back on the table, among all the others they had found that made references to Time Lords. "Doctor, could you come look at this?" The Doctor hurriedly put down his back glanced into her book, muttering what he read. "And behold, a miracle was sent, and the vessel of the Doctor and Lady Jane appeared at his side..." The Doctor shook his head. "This is such a paradox. Librarian, could you keep these books out for us? We'll be right back." The Ood nodded it's head, its translator orb lighting up. "Of course, Doctor. We are honored to serve." The Doctor grinned at Jane. "So, Jane of 16th Century. We're going back to the 630s, it seems." Jane grinned back. "Then for once I'' shall be the hero from the future." The pair of them, laughing as if they weren't about to fight a dragon, strode out of the room. The Doctor snapped his fingers, allowing the TARDIS doors to swing open. "What were the exact words of old Saint Romanus, Jane?" "Lord, I beg of thee..." ---- "...I beg of thee, send ''someone to our aide..." Romanus' prayer was cut out as an odd grinding sound through the air. As the grinding continued, the vworp sound grew louder. And a wooden blue box with letters on it appeared beside the altar. Doors swung open, and an old man in a suit and a young woman in a dress stepped out of the box. "I'm someone," said the old man. "But probably not anyone you're expecting." Romanus crossed himself. "Art thou an angel?" "Definitely not," said the old man, taking a long look around the dim room. "Not even close." "He is the Doctor," explained the woman. "My name is Jane." Romanus stared. "Hast thou... did the Lord tell thee of our troubles?" "We heard about your predicament," said the Doctor. "Or rather, read about it in a book. Don't bother looking it up. It won't be written for another fifteen years after we leave." The Doctor suddenly turned around, facing the angel sculpture. "Um, not to change the subject, but that statue's never moved when no one was looking, right? No? Well that's good. That could have been quite the complication." He laughed nervously. Romanus continued to stare, his jaw dropping more every second. The Doctor clapped his hands together. "So, a dragon eh?" ---- "Fear not! The Lord God has sent us aide! Our deliverance is coming!" The crowd of people quickly separated, allowing the Archbishop and his new companions easy access to the sick beds. The Doctor at once strode over to the bed that held the little girl. "Take care not to touch her," Romanus said in a warning tone. "Those who have touched the ill are subjected to visions. Those who touch them often become sick themselves." The Doctor only barely listened, his attention entirely focused on the girl. He drew a strange metal object from his pocket and waved it over her. An odd light and ringing emanated from the object. "Let's see what the sonic has to add to the conversation," the Doctor said casually. He walked back and forth across the room, waving the buzzing wand over each person in turn. His frown grew wider and wider with each person he passed. Finally, he stopped walking at placed his wand back into his pocket. "I've reached my diagnosis," he said grimly. "Your patients aren't sick." Romanus raised an eyebrow. "They vomit when first infected, and most of these men have not awoken for days. They must be sick." Jane nodded her head in agreement, but the Doctor continued to gaze at the bed-ridden townspeople. "Physically, they're just fine. Something's going on in their heads that's causing this." Abrubtly, the Doctor turned to Romanus. "What kind of visions do these people have prior to their sickness?" Romanus hought for a moment, and answered slowly. "It is confusing to them. What they have told us is ridiculous and illogical. They speak of metal that flies between stars and men with two hearts. All that comes from their mouths is madness." The Doctor's brow furrowed as he examined the people, and then glanced at Romanus. "How long does it take for a touch to convey the illness, Archbishop?" "Only a day." "Plenty of time for me." And with that, the Doctor's hand grasped that of the young girl. ---- At the dawn of time were the Gargou. Their claws kept at bay the horrors of the Dark Days, and upon their wings they held the universe. We were mighty! Praise be to the Gargou. Praise be to us. The Doctor saw scenes of unimaginable beauty. Winged reptiles glided effortlessly across a purple sky, carrying instruments of art and science. Cursed be the Time Lords. The vision shifted from scenes of a beautiful planet, suddenly showing a dying star surrounded by golden starships. Cursed be the Daleks. A bright blue eye with a cold high voice glided over intricately carved walkways. Cursed be the War. Time died. Remember us. Return us. Gallifrey burns, her children screaming. But our children will return. Earth will burn. Though Earth will burn and her children will scream, we will be Remembered. Earth was shattered, and a hole in Everything tore through Time... ---- With a cry, the Doctor pulled his hand away from the girl, stumbling across the room before being supported by Jane. "Archbishop," he said weakly, "I know what brought your dragon." "What?" "A sin." ---- Over the next few hours, the Doctor was a busy man. Jane had trouble keeping up with him as he hurriedly bounced from one end of the city to the other, buying or stealing odd knick-knacks from various people. A bit of glass from here, a bit of metal from there. A chicken brain from the butcher, a wibbly-wobbly button from the TARDIS... Romanus was caught unawares when the Doctor suddenly swooped by him, holding a bizarre contraption in the shape of a cross. The Doctor stared at the Archbishop triumphantly, looking somwhat like a particularly smug owl. "How much do you love this town?" Asked the Doctor. Surprised, Romanus took a long look around. The city was quiet this time of night, with only the occasional yowls of alley cats to break the silence that had fallen. Usually it would be darker than it was, but there were torchlights to be seen around the edges of the city. Lights could be seen through windows, as people stayed awake in fear of being surprised by another nocturnal attack. Romanus' fist clenched again when he thought of the pure terror the demon had inspired. "I love it quite a lot," he said. The words were scarcely out of his mouth before the Doctor had shoved the odd metal cross into his arms. "Time to save it, then," the Doctor said mysteriously. Smiling slightly, he began to lead the wary Archbishop to another part of town. "What didst thou say earlier? When thou had said the demon was brought by a sin?" The Doctor sharply turned down alleyways, winding through the streets towards the city walls. "You needn't worry about it being your sin," he explained as he walked. "And it isn't quite a demon. It's as scared and desperate as any of the people here." "Then why--how...?" "There was a war. A really huge, massive war that was fought in the heavens. My people--the Time Lords, the men with two hearts each--they fought against a race that was trying to destroy everything else in creation. In the process of fighting that war, we'll just say that they stepped on a few toes. And by toes, I mean planets." At the main gate, Jane was patiently waiting within the guards' torchlight, ignoring their obvious attempts to draw her attention and impress her. The Doctor swaggered over and clapped a guard on the soldier. "Ahoy there," he said, grinning. "Jane, the Archbishop and I have some rather urgent business to attend to outside the city." He guard shook his head. "The gate doesn't open at night. We be under siege now, with the beast hunting at night and all." "That's exactly why we need to go out there," said the Doctor, pointing a finger at Romanus. "That man of God over there has a miracle to perform." Romanus looked about nervously before realizing he was holding the cross-shaped device. "Um, what am I...?" "A miracle, eh?" He guard grunted. "I saw no miracles before. Why does he wait until now to save us?" "Because his previous miracles were without the aide of a cruciform psychic alignment focus," replied the Doctor. "Though in any case, I doubt your little closed gate will make much difference to a winged devil." The guard sighed, but signaled for the gate to be opened. The Doctor cheerfully stepped outside and began walking into the nearby swamp. Romanus and Jane quickly followed, Jane with a torch she'd gotten from a guard. The swamp that surrounded Rouen was vaguely foreboding at the best of times, but a nocturnal view in the midst of a demonic siege emphasized its more sinister elements. Relatively few trees, but slipperly slopes and bug-eyed toads. Romanus began to feel uneasy, considering what he'd heard from the fishermen. "We are coming too far," he warned. "The fishermen say there are demons this far into the swamp." "Good, good," said the Doctor idly. "I trust that thou hath a plan, Doctor?" Romanus was just a little concerned with the Doctor's seeming incompetence. If he hadn't seen his blue box appearing out of thin air, he'd think the other man mad. "I don't have anything resembling a plan," the Doctor said cheerfully. "Never do. Just a bit of wit, a piece of insurance, and a charming tongue." On the other hand, the Doctor might simply possess a highly contagious form of madness. As Romanus thought this, he suddenly heard Jane scream. A few meters a strange-looking being had suddenly appeared. No legs, no arms, the creature looked like a metal dome with a bright blue eye. He couldn't see why it was so terrifying to Jane... It began to move towards them, it's voice loud and cold. "EX-TERM-IN-ATE!" Jane began to retreat but the Doctor merely strode over and kicked the soggy ground. Mud sprayed out in front of him, but the devil, which should have been soaked, merely disappeared with a gargling sound." The Doctor shook his head. "Just an illusion. Not even a very good one. The Gargou is short on resources, and not NEARLY AS CLEVER AS IT THINKS IT IS!" He had shouted the last part, his voice sounding very loud in the silent swamp. Bewildered, Romanus started to open his mouth to ask a question, before a rumbling, sploshing sound shook the night. A huge, perfectly spherical metal object rose from the mud, dry and shiny as if it hadn't been buried in the swamp. It began to glow... "No weapons, we're all friends here," said the Doctor, rolling his eyes, and waving the buzzing wand from before. The sphere suddenly dropped to the ground, dowsing the three of them in muddy water. As Jane and Romanus sputtered, the Doctor casually wiped his face off and kept talking. "I know you're desperate. I'd never be able to decomission a Gargou Protective Sphere's defenses unless they'd already been thoroughly weakened by something. Come on out and we'll have a chat." The sphere began to shake, and finally seemed to split in two. Romanus scarcely managed to hold back a cry, however, as the demon, a winged dragon with dark dead scales and eyes full of hatred, rose out of the sphere. It was bigger than a horse, but hopped about like a sparrow, finally resting on a bit of dry land. "I hear the heartbeats of every creature around me," it gargled, it's eyes fixated on the Doctor. "There's one more heart than there should be." The Doctor smiled. "There's one more Gargou here then there should be. What brings you to Rouen?" "Do not speak as if you are oblivious," the creature seemed to snap. "You know of my fate, Time Lord." "I do," the Doctor said simply. "I asked mainly for the convenience of my companions here, who don't know your kind so well." The dragon's yellow eyes narrowed. The Doctor's voice softened. "I remember the Fall of Gargouille. I was there in another life." "And yet you did naught to stop it," snarled the dragon. Romanus cleared his throat to make himself heard. "I do not understand." "Unsurprising," hissed the dragon. "As I remember, the Doctor prefers to skim over the points in his people's history." "During the Last Great Time War," mumbled the Doctor, "my people, the Time Lords, destroyed the home of the Gargou in an attempt to gain an advantage over their enemies." The dragon was visibly angry. "My people were slaughtered at the flimsy excuse of a tactical advantage!" "I know." The Doctor stepped forward. "I tried to stop it. I am sorry for what happened to your race, but hurting these people won't fix anything." "Do you not understand?" Leered the demon. "I am saving my people now! The Memories I have planted will return Gargouille to the sky!" "And burn out the brains of everyone you've touched," the Doctor stated matter-of-factly. "I still do not understand," interupted Romanus. The Gargou glared at him contemptuously, causing him to take an involuntary step backwards. "My people were skilled in the Craft of Memories," it said, gazing longingly towards the stars. "By creating the proper form of thoughts in the right people, results could be achieved. The mind has a direct link to the structure of reality, and how a thing or entity is remembered can affect its existence. "That cannot be true," said Jane, puzzled. "You'd be surprised," replied the Doctor. "I was once deleted from the universe--long story--but the memories of a woman named Amelia Pond were sufficient to return me to existence. Our friend here wants to achieve a similar effect by planting the memories of his people's history into the townspeople." He shook his head. "It won't work. Even with your technology, you can't bring them back. Your Memories are flawed." The dragon laughed. "My success is already ensured. Humans have a mild psychic potential--not much, but enough. Using this planet as a physical focus, I can bring Gargouille back into the universe!" "But you'd be destroying another planet in its place," said the Doctor sternly. "Equilibrium would be maintained." The dragon paused for a moment, and then snarled. "Then I will have succeeded in my goal. Gargouille will be returned to the universe." "You don't want to kill these billions," the Doctor pressed on. "Gallifrey's gone too. I've been trying to bring it back for a long while now. I know how you feel." "You know nothing! Your people were cruel tyrants, crushing those they believed to be inferior. Tell me, Doctor, how is your quest any more worthy then mine? Yours will end in as many deaths as mine will, if not more." For once, the Doctor didn't seem to have a quick response. The Gargou smirked, and raised its hand. At once, the Doctor began to sway on his heels, his face contorting in a mask of sickness. He began to open his mouth as if he were going to speak, but instead toppled over into the mud. "I respect you, Doctor. The universe knows you as a hero, and I believe you ultimately mean well. But I cannot allow you to continue your selfish refusal to stand aside and allow me to save my world." Jane ran forward, enraged. "What did you do to him?" "Nothing he hadn't risked himself," replied the demon. "I can see that he touched one of the humans I implanted with Memories. As his infection is ultimately of my doing, I am more than capable of accelerating it. He will die before long." Jane acted as if she would physically attack the dragon, but Romanus held her back with his free hand. The dragon let out a shrill bark, possibly a laugh. "You do not understand. Go back to your town, or far away. Leave me in peace so that I may continue." Romanus began to feel anger rising up in him. "Why? Thou wilt only destroy this world anyway!" "You seem very angry," said the Gargou irritably. "You do not understand the proper perspective of my actions." "There is no other proper perspective!" Said Romanus angrily. He did not understand the entirety of the conversation he had heard, but he had heard enough. His people were in danger. "The people of this city--this world--have lives, and value. They have purpose! One cannot simply destroy them, no matter the justification!" "Silence, human," the Gargou growled. "More knowledgeable beings than you have spoken." Romanus began to feel strange, as if a sudden surge of power had come into his grasp. The cross he had almost forgot he was holding felt hot in his grasp. He raised it and pointed it at the demon. Anger filled him as he remembered all of the townspeople infected thus far in this beast's passion. He thought of little Vera, the playful little girl, lurching about in her illness. "What is that?" asked the Gargou, glaring. "Did the Doctor give that to you?" As it asked this, however, a slight change came over its mannerisms. While before it had seemed quick and energetic as a sparrow, it was now moving towards them slowly, its wings beating out of sync with one another. "Stop that," it growled. "Let go of your anger..." "Thou art a devil!" Romanus shouted. "Thou wilt destroy every soul in the world if I let thee!" He supposed if he thought about it, he wouldn't be quite sure what he was doing. But he was too angry to consider that. The dragon began to lurch forwards, vomiting up gallons of a clear, water-like substance. Its eyes grew wider and more wild. It raised its hand, and a small metal object flew into its reach. "That is a gun," Jane said, edging backwards. "It is about to strike..." Romanus continued to walk forwards, clutching the cross in his hands. He was beginning to get an idea of what he was doing--somehow, he was transferring the disease into the demon itself. He ignored the odd bit of metal in its hand, and instead concentrated on the disease. The symptoms, the vomiting, the visions, every single person he knew who had been touched by the devil and infected... With a howl, the Gargou fell over into the mud, shaking for a moment before becoming still. The Doctor, meanwhile, seemed to be stirring. "I want thee to leave this world," growled Romanus. "I want thee to remove the curse thou hath placed on my people, and leave." There was a slight wimper from the black, scaly heap that was the Gargou. As if on cue, there was a cry from the Doctor a few meters away. "My kidneys!" He slowly rose to his feet. "I don't know how, but I seem to have hurt my kidneys." He grimaced. "What is this?" "Romanus put a curse on the dragon," Jane explained. The Doctor chuckled at the shocked expression growing on Romanus' face, as he realized what had just happened. "I see you used the cruciform," said the Doctor, poking the still body of the Gargou with his foot. "I suppose," replied the Archbishop, confused. "What...?" The Doctor took the cross from his slightly shaking hands. "This, my friend, is a cruciform psychic alignment focus. It attempts to create a sort of equilibrium between the minds of different entities around it. In your case, that meant getting angry and spreading the Memory infection to its source." He sighed. "Thus killing the last child of Gargouille." The body had grown oddly brittle, and was slowly fading. "The Time Lords used temporal weaponry to destroy Gargouille," the Doctor explained. "They erased worlds from history, trying to counter a nasty sort of Dalek that was running loose back then. This Gargou's Memory of home was the only thing keeping him from being deleted from the timeline." "No wonder it was so anxious to bring it back," muttered Jane softly. "Last of its kind, and we don't even know it's name." "I... I am sorry," stammered Romanus. "That's good," replied the Doctor. "You were brilliant tonight, Romanus, and you saved your entire planet. But it's always a sad thing to end a life, let alone a species. I know." They stood there, three wet, shivering bodies in the night. Finally, the Doctor turned to the others with a slight smile. "Shall we return? You've got a miracle to proclaim, Archbishop." ---- "And so it came to pass that Saint Romanus returned triumphant in the night, accompanied by the Doctor and Lady Jane..." "They left out about our being soaking wet," remarked the Doctor, nibbling one of the teacakes the Ood had brought. Jane ignored him and continued reading. "The Doctor and his companion disappeared in the night, and none knew to where they had gone. Saint Romanus was celebrated by the people of Rouen, and the sick were healed as if they had never been ill. But Romanus was humble and walked in the way of the Lord, and declared that they would build a statue to commemorate the event." Jane glanced up from the book. "That's where gargoyles come from, isn't it? The statue Romanus had built?" "Got it in one," replied the Doctor, passing her a teacake. "Technically, the Gargou race never existed. But the human race remembers them. Five billion years from then, you'll still be putting their likenesses on all your churches." Jane nodded, taking a bite of her cake. They sat in silence for a few minutes before she spoke again. "Doctor... you said the Time Lords destroyed the Gargou. Was that an isolated incident, or...?" "Half the horrors of the Time War had their roots on Gallifrey," the Doctor replied gravely. "Then... are we doing the right thing by bringing them back?" The Doctor was silent for a minute. "We'll just have to see, won't we? Maybe we'll think of something on the way there." Jane nodded again, smiling. "Where to next?" The Doctor got up and stretched. "I don't rightly know yet. Somewhere amazing, I can tell you that. Grab another teacake. We've got a lot ahead of us." Category:Stories featuring Ood Category:Featured Articles Category:Stories featuring the Twelfth Doctor